Sommaire pour 2021-05-21 de Cape Times

Dineo Faku dineo.faku@inl.co.za ENVIRONMENTAL lobby group the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) turned up the heat on ArcelorMittal South Africa (Amsa) to decarbonise urgently during the group’s annual general meeting (AGM) held virtually yesterday. Amsa is South Africa’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter after Sasol, accounting for 2.81 percent of the country’s emissions, according to the CER’s Full Disclosure 5 report. CER lawyers, who hold a share in Amsa, said this was the third consecutive year in which the organisation participated in the AGM and protested against Amsa’s failure to respect environmental laws. The CER’s head of corporate accountability and transparency, Leanne Govindsamy, said they had seen little change in the manner in which Amsa handled environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. “Amsa’s refusal to take steps to address concerns…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za THE Public Servants Association (PSA) wants to approach the bargaining chamber about the failure of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to fix its “abysmal” live-capture system. The PSA, which is the majority union at the DHA, said the impact of the offline saga over several years had resulted in attacks and abuse of its members, with the public blaming staff for situations that are out of their control. The DHA’s information technology problems impact on its ability to deliver efficient and timeous services, leaving customers with dissatisfactory, frustrating and disheartening experiences, the union said. PSA spokesperson Reuben Maleka said the union was considering the bargaining chamber route for intervention to protect its members. He said in Johannesburg, a Home Affairs employee was hit on the…

Odwa Mkentane odwa.mkentane@inl.co.za NYANGA police have appealed for public assistance in locating 27-year-old Mabhuti Zange, who was last seen on Tuesday in Umkhonto Square, Nyanga, the day he arrived in the province. Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said according to Zange’s sister, she went inside her house and left Zange sitting outside, and when she came back he was nowhere to be found. “According to his sister, Mabhuti is new in the province and had arrived on the same day that he went missing. At the time of his disappearance he was wearing a black T-shirt, a pair of blue jeans and adidas sandals,” said Rwexana. Zange’s brother, Mawande, said his sibling came to the province to look for “greener pastures”. “The guy doesn’t know this place very well and we…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za AS THE deadline looms for the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) to make a decision on Karpowerships, the West Coast Black Business Alliance (WCBBA) has thrown its support behind the energy supplier to operate from the port of Saldanha Bay. This despite small-scale fishing communities having decried the pending decision for the floating power plants in South African sea waters. Karpowership, a member of Karadeniz Energy Group, based in Istanbul, Turkey, could possibly be adding its fully-integrated power plants to the country on a 20-year contract in three provinces - Saldanha Bay in the Western Cape, Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal and Coega in the Eastern Cape. WCBBA spokesperson Sammy Claassen said they have rejected the “trumped-up opinions of some elitist groupings” in Langebaan. “The...…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE case against self-confessed child rapist and murderer Steven Fortune has been postponed to have him declared “a dangerous criminal”. Fortune, who is a repeat offender, appeared at the Western Cape High Court yesterday, where the matter was postponed to Wednesday for sentencing. National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said: “It has been postponed to Wednesday (next week) for counsel to address the court on declaration of the accused as a dangerous criminal, and sentence.” Fortune had previously pleaded guilty to the murder of 12-year-old Michaela Williams, who went missing from her home on January 7 last year. Fortune had told the court how he had lured Michaela with promises of cake while she played with friends outside her home. He had then taken her over a…

Nicola Daniels nicola.daniels@inl.co.za RESIDENTS evicted from the Communicare Albatross complex in Thornton said they were in consultation with their legal counsel to oppose the eviction because they were now homeless. “The Albatross 11 were evicted yesterday and we are presently in consultation with our legal counsel to oppose the eviction so that our homeless tenants can return home to Albatross,” Albatross Housing Care chairperson Neville Petersen said. Communicare meanwhile said the residents had been living illegally for 20 months, occupying 11 flats. In a statement, the housing corporation said: “Communicare reported the illegal invasion at Albatross in September 2019 after locks to the premises were cut and security guards were forced to hand over keys to vacant units. Invaders took possession of 11 units in the building and refused to…

| Julian Richfield THE BEAUTY OF LIVING TWICE Sharon Stone Loot.co.za (R250) ALLEN & UNWIN THE book’s cover refers to her as “one of the most renowned actresses in the world”. She is Sharon Stone. In her self-penned book, The Beauty of Living Twice, she writes of her life and career before and after the traumatic massive stroke that forever changed both. I was interested in this memoir as I met Stone in 1985 on the set of King Solomon’s Mines. I had found her to be quite reserved and ungiving and having seen her in a few of her movies (including the iconic, Basic Instinct), I was keen to know more about what had happened to her since. This book tells the reader much about the private and…

The four Major tournaments will always quicken the pulse of any golf fan. And this weekend South African fans have 11 extra reasons to be excited about the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. The mere fact that there are 11 South African players in the field speaks volumes for the tremendous amount of talent in the South African game right now. Top of the talking points is the young Garrick Higgo, who made pundits around the world sit up and take notice with two victories in three weeks on the European Tour recently. The 22-year-old won the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open and the Canary Island Championship, setting several records. “King Louis” Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel will be determined to add to their major tally. They are both just…

several deaths were reported in the southern US as a massive storm swept across the region. In the state of Louisiana, authorities launched an investigation into at least four deaths possibly linked to the storm, reports Xinhua news agency. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office reported that a 33-year-old man was found in a vehicle submerged in water. Across the Mississippi River, a 40-year-old person reportedly died and another person was missing after their car crashed. Officials also reported two other deaths likely linked to power outages. The National Weather Service said that Lake Charles, west of Louisiana, saw close to 45cm rain in 24 hours. Parts of Interstate Highway 10 were closed due to flash flooding and many drivers were forced to abandon their vehicles. In Texas, a Flash…

Several Greek villages were evacuated yesterday with no injuries reported as firefighters battled the country’s first major blaze of the year on a mountain range overlooking the Gulf of Corinth. Six villages and two monasteries were evacuated after the fire broke out on Wednesday evening near the village of Schinos on the Gulf of Corinth, some 90km west of Athens. Bleary-eyed residents said they barely had time to dress as they were taken to the nearby coastal village of Alepochori for safety. “We were alerted at four in the morning by the police, who told us to leave,” an elderly local told Skai TV. “They then searched neighbouring homes for people unable to move on their own. We were not in danger,” the local said Fire department chief Stefanos Kolokouris…

Kabul: Nine civilians died and three others were injured as a roadside bomb struck a vehicle in Afghanistan’s Helmand province yesterday, a police spokesman said. “A mine planted by the enemies struck a civilian vehicle in Bushran area in the morning and as a result nine civilians including women and children were killed and three more sustained injury,” the official said. Another official asserted that the Bushran area was the scene of heavy fighting between government forces and the Taliban recently and the militants planted the mine. Taliban militants who have stepped up operations to overrun Lashkar Gah city are yet to comment.…

KANO: Nigerian Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has been seriously wounded after trying to kill himself to avoid capture during clashes with rival Islamic State-allied jihadists in the north of the country, two intelligence sources said yesterday. Shekau’s Boko Haram faction and fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) had been battling in north-eastern Borno state, where Iswap militants have become the dominant force in Nigeria’s more than decade-long jihadist insurgency. Shekau, who made international headlines when his men kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls in Chibok in 2014, has been reported dead several times.…

Ashfak Mohamed ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za THE American drawl is coming through, slowly but surely, but Shaun Phatutshedzo Maswanganyi is determined to wear the Team South Africa kit at the Tokyo Olympics. The 20-year-old from Soweto made everyone sit up and take note on Sunday night when he ran a superb 100m time of 9.87 seconds at The American Outdoor Championships for college athletes in Tampa, Florida as part of the University of Houston Cougars team. That time would’ve broken Akani Simbine’s national record of 9.89, but a wind of +3.8 metres per second (m/s) meant that it would not be recognised. Maswanganyi followed it up with an exceptional 19.93 in the 200m a short while later, but again, the wind (3.3m/s) denied him Olympic qualification. His personal bests are 10.06 and 20.31…

Siphelele Dludla siphelele.dludla@inl.co.za DELIVERING the National Treasury’s R41.1 billion Budget vote yesterday Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said yesterday the Budget would be committed to the National Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, including by supporting vital economic reforms, and advancing the transformation of the economy. He said the government continued to pursue a balanced and prudent fiscal strategy in order to stabilise the public finances, saying the spending ceiling announced in February would not be adjusted upwards. “However, we have a long and difficult road ahead. As we are all aware, the government is taking the required steps to avoid a debt spiral,” he said. The tax revenue shortfall for 2020/21 was R175.5 billion, which was a record. “Meanwhile, debt service costs will increase to R269.7bn in the current…

Staff writer AS MEMBERS of the SA Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Coalition are today expected to gather at the Durban port to protest the docking of an Israeli ship, more than 600 health-care workers have also come out to condemn the attacks against Palestinians. BDS, its affiliates, other partner organisations and trade unions will converge on the Durban Esplanade at 7am today, where the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) has already informed Transnet of its refusal to allow cargo to be offloaded. The union said the decision follows a call by the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU) on workers and trade unions to “refuse to unload (Israeli) ships and goods from sea and airports”. “More than 230 people have been killed, most of them civilians,…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za MORE than a year after DA councillor Nora Grose was accused of corruption and maladministration, she appeared at the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court on fraud and money laundering charges relating to Covid-19 relief funds. Grose, from Table View, handed herself over to Atlantis police yesterday following a warrant being issued for her arrest. She was granted R10 000 bail with conditions that she must not interfere with the investigation and witnesses. She is accused of using Temporary Employer/Employee Relief (Ters) funds for personal gain, along with Reuben Swartz, chairperson of the SA Religious Civic Organisation, a non-governmental organisation. Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said Grose further allegedly colluded with Swartz to siphon relief funds from the City. “Humanitarian funds valued at R170 000 meant for the distribution of…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za THE Association of Public Boys’ Schools of South Africa (APBSA) says it is concerned that the decision by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to suspend contact sports in schools with immediate effect has been taken without scientific data. The association said it was not aware of surveys at schools to ascertain levels of infection or whether these were sport related or not, and it was trying to collate such data from its member schools. The DBE said this week the decision to suspend all contact sports was made by the Council of Education ministers after calls by education experts and activists as a result of the looming third wave. “During the last week of Term 1, school sports activity related to Covid-19 outbreaks in Gauteng were…

Siphokazi Vuso siphokazi.vuso@inl.co.za INFORMAL settlement residents whose homes were hit by heavy downpours across the province yesterday have described their living conditions in winter as a nightmare. Flooded roads, power outages, damage to homes and fallen trees were among the incidents reported in several parts of the province yesterday. Disaster Risk Management spokesperson Charlotte Powell said Gugulethu, Macassar Village, Philippi East, Khayelitsha, Langa and Delft were among areas affected by flooding, and a request was sent to the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) to provide humanitarian assistance. Powell said power outages were reported in Joe Slovo, Noordhoek, Crawford, Woodstock, Bellville and Somerset West, and roadways were cleared. Parts of the greater Oudtshoorn were also experiencing power outages following the wind and rain yesterday. Joe Slovo resident Sandisiwe Maphasa said…

ON Thursday, the school kids who love sport were rocked with the immediate suspension of all contact sport. What constitutes a contact sport is up for interpretation, but even mountain bike racing was suspended. It was a crushing blow for this country’s youth, who only a month ago finally got the go-ahead to enjoy the pleasures of schools sport, and who got to escape the restrictive realities of the past 15 months, since South Africa went into the Covid-19 lockdown. It was a decision made without any discussion or consultation with the schools, and it came out of nowhere for those provinces in which there have been minimal reports of Covid-19 cases. It was disturbingly typical of so many decisions forced on South Africans, in the name of safety, health…

Spain’s defence minister accused Morocco of “blackmail” yesterday over its passivity in the face of a surge in migrant arrivals in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta earlier this week. The rush of migrants began on Monday when Morocco appeared to loosen border controls, a move widely interpreted, including by the Spanish opposition, as retaliation for Spain’s hosting of a Western Sahara independence leader. Defence Minister Margarita Robles said that by creating the conditions for thousands of migrants to swim into Ceuta or climb over fences into the enclave, Morocco had endangered lives. “We will not accept any blackmail, no matter how small, or any questioning of our territorial integrity,” she told the radio station RNE. The crisis in Ceuta comes after Morocco protested against Spain’s decision a month ago to…

AMSTERDAM: Carlos Ghosn was ordered to pay nearly ¤5 million (roughly R85.4m) to a local unit of Nissan by a Dutch court in one of the first rulings in a legal battle between the fallen car executive and his former employer around the world. The former chairman has “no right to fair compensation, transitional compensation or arrears of salary” as no employment contract existed between him and Nissan-Mitsubishi BV, an Amsterdam-based joint venture called NMBV, the district court in the Dutch capital said in a ruling yesterday.…

BEIRUT: Scuffles erupted yesterday between Lebanese and Syrians, who were on their way to cast votes at their embassy in Lebanon in favour of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as polling abroad began before next week’s presidential election. The voters were driving in a convoy of cars and buses, waving Syrian flags and blasting pro-Assad songs on speakers, heading to the embassy on the outskirts of Beirut, when a group of Lebanese attacked their vehicles, witnesses said. The Lebanese smashed windows and burned their flags, snarling up traffic on the thoroughfare. Lebanon’s relations with neighbouring Syria have often been fraught.…

SEATTLE: Five women, current and former Amazon employees, separately sued the e-commerce giant on Wednesday, alleging race and gender discrimination, and accusing their managers of retaliation after they raised complaints. One suit, filed by Diana Cuervo, former manager in delivery operations at an Amazon facility in Washington, alleges her manager used racial epithets, saying, “Latins suck”. Cuervo claims the company fired her after she complained about discrimination and harassment. In another suit, Emily Sousa, a shift manager, alleged a manager compared her to an adult-film star.…

Athandile Siyo athandile.siyo@inl.co.za THE community of Browns Farm was in shock on Wednesday after the discovery of yet another body, this time with gunshot wounds and allegedly by children playing outside. Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said police are investigating a case of murder. “At around 2.25pm an unknown man was shot and killed in Siyahlala (informal settlement), Browns Farm, Philippi, by an unknown suspect who is yet to be arrested. The circumstances are being investigated,” he said. The lifeless bodies of Nomvuzo Atoli and Amahle Quku were found in the same area last year. Community Policing Forum (CPF) secretary Dumisani Qwebe said that the situation was traumatising to children. “These bodies that are being found are traumatising to children, just when they were trying to move on from last…

Francesca Villette francesca.villette@inl.co.za THE National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has not yet received any legal request to initiate charges against Israeli leaders for crimes committed against Palestinians. It said the publicly made request by the Palestine Solidarity Alliance (PSA) and the Media Review Network yesterday would have to go via the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigations (Hawks), which can then request it to assist. The Hawks yesterday said it was still sourcing information, and as it was an international matter, the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco) would communicate with it if necessary. The PSA and Media Review Network in a media statement said they launched the urgent legal request, dubbed the “Al Aqsa Docket” to the NPA to probe and charge Israeli leaders, and they called on the Director…

Okuhle Hlati okhule.hlati@inl.co.za THE DA was tight-lipped over the alleged discreet payment of nearly R1 million in court-awarded legal costs to Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Patricia de Lille. De Lille, the former mayor, had turned to the courts on numerous occasions to defend herself against her former party which she left in 2018. When she resigned from her position as mayor De Lille established the Good Movement party. Good secretary-general Brett Herron said four times De Lille had to seek protection from the courts as the DA allegedly manufactured stories about the reason that she left. “A particular bone of contention was De Lille’s insistence that affordable homes be built for people of colour in inner-city areas and formerly whites-only neighbourhoods to begin to integrate the post-apartheid city. Soon…

Chevon Booysen chevon.booysen@inl.co.za THE increasing national DNA backlog numbers speak of “gross negligence and gross incompetence” and a service that is not running as it should. These are the scathing pronouncements of anti-GBV activists, speaking out against Police Minister Bheki Cele last week when he announced that the backlog at the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratories had increased despite authorities having “sprung into action”. In an address at the National Assembly, Cele said there was a DNA backlog of 208 291 cases nationally. Gauteng recorded the largest backlog of 115%, with the Western Cape slightly behind with a backlog of 113%. This is an increase of 35 504 more cases than the 172 787 cases reported earlier this year. Anti-GBV activist Lucinda Evans demanded accountability. “This is a human rights violation…

Zanele Mvana zanele.mvana@inl.co.za STUDENTS have warned of alleged scammers preying on those seeking enrolment assistance at Cape Peninsula University Of Technology (CPUT). This as police yesterday confirmed they were investigating a case of fraud after a student alleged they had been conned out of money. A number of students this week told the Cape Times that they had been victims of two alleged scammers. A family member of one of the victims said: “My brother had applied to study teaching at the university but unfortunately he was rejected for that course. “A friend of mine then told me about (the alleged scammer) and that he could help my brother get enrolled even though he was rejected. He would negotiate with the head of department and pupils would get placement. “I…

China steps into leadership role Biden has vacated, calls for immediate end to airstrikes US indifference to the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza being massacred by Israeli warplanes has been met with disbelief – not only by its allies, but by the rest of the UN Security Council. For the third time in a week, the US blocked the adoption of a joint UN Security Council statement that called for the protection of civilians and a halt to the ongoing violence. The US refusal to endorse a joint UN Security Council statement shocked council members. What was even more outrageous was the Biden administration approving the sale of a further $735 million (about R10 billion) worth of arms to Israel in the same week that Israel was…

GAZA CITY: Diplomatic efforts gathered pace yesterday for a ceasefire on the 11th day of deadly violence between Israel and armed Palestinian groups in Gaza as air strikes again hammered the enclave. A column of grey smoke billowed above Gaza after a night in which families cowered in fear from the bombing, while, the Israeli army said, some 70 rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel, sending residents fleeing into bomb shelters. Talks continued to end the bloodshed after US President Joe Biden urged a “significant de-escalation” while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push on until the military campaign reaches its objective, “to restore quiet and security” for Israelis. UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland was visiting Qatar for talks with Ismail Haniyeh, political leader of…

An Oxford University college said yesterday it will not take down a controversial statue of the 19th-century colonialist Cecil Rhodes, despite having backed its removal. Oriel College voted last year in favour of removing the statue but said it would now not do so due to “regulatory and financial challenges”. “In light of the considerable obstacles to removal, Oriel’s governing body has decided not to begin the legal process for relocation of the memorials,” it added. The four-year campaign to remove the statue was reignited by the global explosion of Black Lives Matter demonstrations last year. This followed the killing in the United States of African-American George Floyd by a police officer. It followed a similar protest -- “Rhodes Must Fall” - against a statue of the colonialist at the…

Berlin: After almost 16 years in charge of Europe’s biggest economy and often dubbed the most powerful woman in the world, no one could accuse German Chancellor Angela Merkel of kicking back. But Merkel, who will retire from politics after elections in September, still fears people might think she didn’t work hard enough, she told an online forum hosted by the WDR broadcaster on Thursday. Asked what she would not want to be written about her in the history books, the veteran chancellor replied: “That I was lazy.” Merkel made the comment with a wry smile, a nod to her reputation for, in fact, being exactly the opposite. The 66-year-old is famous for packing an eye-wateringly busy schedule and once said she stores sleep like a camel stores water.…

GENEVA: World Health Organisation regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said yesterday that the Covid-19 vaccine inequality between richer and poorer economies was “definitely there”. “If you speak globally, as of May 4, 29% of the population in high-income countries versus 1.4% of the population in low- and lower-middle-income countries received at least one dose, so this inequity is definitely there, that’s why mechanisms (such) as the Covax and the ACT-A Accelerator are so important,” Kluge said. At a Gavi vaccine alliance event, global leaders urged rich countries to donate excess vaccine doses to the Covax mechanism.…

So school sports competitions have been cancelled due to the pandemic. What alternatives are there for your kids to burn off some of that energy and keep active? Lets take a look at some safe options which can keep the family fit and healthy while we fight this virus. The Department of Basic Education has taken a rational decision to halt all contact school sport for the safety of our nation. I feel it’s a good decision as we have not been disciplined enough as a nation. What activities can we do as a family to keep fit: 1. Run/Jog – Running is massive in SA, we have some of the best elite runners in the world. All you need is a decent pair of shoes and a warm fleece…

ZAAHIER ADAMS zaahier.adams@inl.co.za MAMELODI Sundowns co-coach Manqoba Mngqithi is hoping the potential return of Themba Zwane will be the inspiration his team requires in their do-or-die Caf Champions League quarter-final second leg against Al Ahly at Lucas Moripe Stadium tomorrow. Zwane missed the 2-0 first leg defeat in Cairo last week through injury. The Premiership Player of the Year's ability to unlock the opposition's defence from midfield was glaringly absent as the Brazilians controlled all the possession, but were unable to create clear-cut chances that could penetrate the Egyptian champions' defence. But Mngqithi is optimistic that "Mshishi" will be ready to take his place in the starting line-up tomorrow (3pm kickoff). “Based on the report that we got from the doctors and the training that he had yesterday (Wednesday)‚ it…